First aid for absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover

Decreased mental well-being and health problems can be costly to your organization. Absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover are indicators that go hand in hand with these problems. So how do you tackle this? We help you on your way with 9 practical tips.

The jargon

Absenteeism or sick leave is the absence of an employee from work due to illness. High absenteeism rates carry high costs. Just think about continuing to pay the absent employee's salary or hiring a temporary replacement. Furthermore, indirect costs also crop up. For example, the well-being of your current employees can deteriorate significantly due to a higher workload or more stress to get the work done within the same timeframe. This can create a vicious cycle where employees continue to drop out or perform less.

In addition to absenteeism, there is also presenteeism. In this, an employee is sick but continues to work, this involves both physical and psychological illness. That's good for my organization, right? You might think so, but actually presenteeism creates major challenges and high costs. Employees who continue to work despite being sick work less productively, get even sicker or recover more slowly. Moreover, burnout also lurks around the corner.

Attrition is about staff members leaving your organization. It may be the organization's intention to lay off staff because of savings or poor performance. But this staff turnover can also be unintentional when an employee resigns on his or her own. In a healthy company, there is always some turnover. Yet is this rate too high? Then this can have many underlying causes, often related to the well-being of your employees. As a result, vacancies become difficult to fill, engagement lowers and you lose good employees. So how can you effectively address turnover, presenteeism or absenteeism? Find out here in the following 9 tips.

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9 tips to address absenteeism, presenteeism or turnover

1.Absenteeism policy

Everyone gets sick sometimes, which is why it is important to have a clear framework around absence. This way, every employee knows what to do in case of illness or accident. On the one hand, you clarify the rules around illness and absence. On the other hand, you also raise the threshold for absence by making clear agreements around reporting sickness, monitoring sickness and (un)legitimate absence. This is a crucial step in addressing absenteeism.

2. Contact during absence

Stay in touch with sick employees to show commitment and understanding. This strengthens the bond between the employee and the organization and lowers the barrier to return to work.

3. Reintegration

When employees are absent for long periods of time, it is important to gradually integrate them back into the workplace. A good reintegration policy improves the chances of a successful return, reduces costs and increases employee well-being.

4. Increase awareness around presenteeism

A first step is to recognize and acknowledge presenteeism within your organization. Many employees are unaware that presenteeism can be detrimental to your own health and that of the organization. Therefore, communicate about the negative consequences of presenteeism and inform your employees about the signs and where to go for questions or difficulties surrounding presenteeism.

5. Chart the cause

Presenteeism can have many causes: too much work, fear of losing your job, not being able to let go of your work, ... With an employee survey you can find out the causes within your organization and take targeted actions.

6. Create the appropriate culture to combat presenteeism

To combat presenteeism, it is important to create an open corporate culture. Make the well-being of your employees negotiable and make sure employees do not feel guilty when they are sick, for example. Furthermore, as managers, it is important to lead by example.

7. Combat turnover by valuing employees

Create an environment where employees feel valued, have the opportunity to grow and where their contributions are recognized. Open communication, honest feedback and opportunities for professional development can all help reduce employee turnover.

8. Commit to personal development and growth

Employees need perspective. Make sure they can set goals and take steps to achieve those goals. You can do this by offering opportunities for training, continuing education and career development. This is how you increase employee engagement and loyalty.

9. A competitive salary

A fair wage in line with the competition is very important to attract and retain employees. This can prevent leaving for the sake of better compensation at another organization.

Chart the well-being of your employees

Do you want to map well-being within your company? BloomUp offers a well-being scan that objectively measures, analyzes and interprets the well-being of your organization. This way you immediately know where the problem lies and you can take targeted action. Wondering how this works? Check out our webinar on well-being scans.